Fastening portable-legs



L. WELKER. PASTBNING PoR TABLE LEGS.

Patented Aug. 9, 1892.

@venan M5L @M UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

LOUIS VVELKER, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

FASTENING FOR TABLE-LEGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 480,536, dated August9, 1892.

Application led December 2. 1891. Serial No. 413.812. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, LOUIS VELKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Villiamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFastenings for Table-Legs; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of theinvention,such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in means for fastening legs to theframes of tables of that class known particularly as knockdown tables,in which the parts are adapted to be readily taken apart for compactstorage and ready transportation, and which can be put together veryquickly.

Heretofore various forms of cast -metal plates or brackets have beenemployed for uniting the side pieces of a table-frame together and thelegs to the side pieces of said frame; but said brackets and plates areeX- pensive and cannot be economically used in the manufactureofordinary furniture. The wooden side pieces and legs of a table-framehave also been united by forming grooves in the legs to receive the sidepieces or by dovetailing the side pieces into the faces of the leg andemploying a diagonal brace-piece, which is secured at its ends totheside pieces by screws and fastened to the leg by a common vS-'ood-screw.Such construction, however, does not provide for the shrinkage of thewood, as it is found that the wooden leg in transportation or storage,or when made from undried or green wood, will sometimes expand.Consequently when the table is set up by the dealer or retail merchantthe leg is liable to split; and, furthermore, owing to shrinkage of theleg, the joints between the same and the side pieces become loose andthe table is not steady and firm. I aim to overcome these objections andto provide a device which is cheap and expeditious to manufacture, whichwill have the joints between the side pieces and legs firm and rigid toprovide a steady table, which is capable of being readily put together,which provides for the expansion and contraction of the parts, and whichenables any slack or loosening to be quickly taken up. ,x

With these ends in View the invention consists in a table-frame havingthe inner surfaces of each side piece provided with a multiplicit-yofparallel segmental kerfs or grooves near each end, a diagonal brace ofWood at each corner of said frame and having each end of said braceformed with a series of tenons, which fit and are secured in the kerfsor grooves in the side pieces, and a table-leg fitted between the endsof the side pieces and abutting against the same, and a horizontalscrew-bolt fastened in the table-leg and having a threaded end passingthrough the diagonal brace or corner-piece and receiving a nut,whichdraws the leg firmly in place against the side pieces.

My invention further consists in the combination of parts and in thepeculiar construction and arrangement of devices, as will be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of one corner ofa table-frame and its leg, the top being omitted. Fig. 2 is a plan view,with the top removed, of the corner of the table-frame and the legthereof, part of one side piece being broken away to show one of thetenons on the diagonal brace or corner-piece fitting in one of the kerfsor grooves in the corner-piece. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on theplane indicated by the dotted line fr a: of Fig. 2.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figuresof the drawings, referring to whichl 2 designate two of the side piecesof a table-frame, and 3 is the table-leg. The side pieces l 2 are eachprovided on their inner approximate faces, on the inside of thetableframe, with a plurality or series of kerfs or grooves l 4, whichare cut at uniform distances from each other and in parallel planes,each kerf beginning and ending on the inner face of the side piece, (seeFig. 2,) whereby the kerfs are prevented from running out at orextending to the end of the side piece. The ends and outer faces of theside pieces are thus left smooth, as the kerfs do not penetratetransversely through the Wood, nor do they extend to the ends thereof,and the faces of the leg 3 are likewise smooth, thus preserving theparts practically intact and preventing the weakening of the side piecesand the legs.

5 is the diagonal brace or corner-piece,

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which is cut from a single piece of wood, and the ends of thecorner-piece are formed with a plurality of tenons 6 7, adapted andorganized for insertion into the kerfs in the two side pieces 1 2.

In the manufacture of the table-frame the side pieces l 2 are soadjusted that the mortises on theinner faces thereof lie in the sameplanes, and the tenons in the corner-piece 5 are fitted in the kerfs,the corner-piece being united to the side pieces by glue or any suitableadhesive. The side pieces of the frame are united very securely andfirmly together by the plurality of kerf-aud-tenon joints between theside pieces and the corner-piece, and the joints are furtherstrengthened by reinforce-blocks 8 9, which are fitted and secured inthe angle formed by and between the front or outer face of thecorner-piece and the inner faces of the side pieces, near the ends ofthe same. The ends of the side pieces are not brought together, so thata space is left between said ends of the side pieces at the corner ofthe frame, and in this space is fitted the solid leg 3, the smooth facesof which bear directly against the smooth ends of the side pieces. Theinner angle or corner of the leg projects beyond the inner faces of theside pieces, and said angle is beveled, as at 9, to lie in a planeparallel with the plane of the diagonal corner-piece, but out of contactwith the same. A screw-bolt l0 is secured in the leg and protrudestherefrom through the beveled face 9. This screw-bolt has a lagscrew-thread at one end, which penetrates the wood of the leg andfastens the bolt to the same, and the other end of the screwbolt has anordinary screw-thread designed to receive the nut 11. The screw-bolt isfastened to the table-leg in a rigid and firm. manner, as described, andwhen the leg is adj usted in the space between the ends of the sidepieces the free end of this bolt passes through a perforation or openingin the diagonal corner-piece, after which the Washer l2 is slipped onthe bolt and the nut 1l 'screwed home, so that the leg 3 is drawn tautand firm against the ends of the side pieces.

It will be readily seen that the leg can be fastened securely in placein the table-frame with ease and dispatch and that any sh rinkage of theleg or side pieces can be taken up by tightening the nut on thescrew-bolt, which is very important, as the table-frame and legs canalways be rigidly secured, so as to present a steady firm table.

In the Inanufactu re of the table-frame the side pieces are fed to acutting-machine having a gang of loosely-mounted wabbling saws, whichcut at one operation the whole series of grooves or kerfs in the face orside of the side frame, the grooves or kerfs being cut in segments ofcircles, and the same gang of saws is employed in cutting the series oftenons in the chamfered ends of the diagonal brace, after which theparts are assembled so that the tenons are forced into the series. ofsegmental kerfs or grooves inthe two side pieces, making a broad firmjoint wh1ch 1s not affected by any shrinkage in the materlal used. Bythus cutting the kerfs or grooves in the side pieces and the tenons onthe chamfered ends of the diagonal brace I am enabled to easily,quickly, and cheaply construct the frame and the table, as a completearticle can be produced at less cost than is now possible. Besides, Iproduce a stronger and more durable article, which has the advantage ofbeing readily taken apart and put together, and any slack in the framecan be taken up by a few turns of the nuts on the bolts.

Although I have only shown and described one corner and leg of a table,yet for a practical table each corner and the leg thereat will beconstructed and arranged as herein shown and described.

I am aware that modifications in the form and proportion of parts anddetails of construction can be made without departing from the spirit ofmy invention, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes andalterations as fall within the scope of my invention.

What I claim is- 1. In a knockdown table, the frame having its sidepieces provided on the inner faces thereof with the series of segmentalkerfs or grooves extending longitudinally of the same and terminatingwithin the ends of the side pieces and the diagonal corner-pieceprovided at its ends with the series of tenons, an adhesive substancebeing applied and the corner-piece or brace forced into position withits tenons in the kerfs or grooves and allowed to set, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a knockdown table, the frame having its side pieces provided withthe series of longitudinal segmental kerfs or grooves, the diagonalcorner-piece or brace provided at its ends with the series of tenonswhich are secured in the kerfs or grooves, the leg, and the angularreinforce-biocks secured between the corner-piece, the side pieces, andthe leg, substantially as described.

3. In a knockdown table, the combination of the frame having its sidepieces provided with the longitudinal segmental kerfs or grooves,arranged as described, the cornerpiece or brace having its chamferedends provided with the tenons secured in the grooves or kerfs, the solidhead-leg fitted against the imperforate ends of the side pieces, and thescrew-bolt secured in the head of the leg and having a nut bearingagainst the corner-piece or brace, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS WELKER Witnesses:

HENRY E. COOPER, H. I. BERNHARD.

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